Striker Abderrazak Hamdallah, Morocco’s Hope for the World Cup?

Rabat – Moroccan football player and Al-Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah is on the list of the 26 players who will represent Morocco at the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup, with Moroccan fans having high hopes for the Moroccan forward.

As Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui on Thursday announced the official squad for the global tournament, Moroccan fans were ecstatic to hear Hamdallah’s name listed, as he has not played with the Moroccan team since departing its training camp in 2019.

In an interview with Waleed Al Farra for the Saudi show “Action Ma3 Waleed,” Hamdallah apologized to Moroccan fans and officials for leaving the national team’s camp in 2019, describing the move as a “dark point” in his football career.

Hamdallah expressed his deepest regret, adding that he suffered “serious consequences” because of his mistake, notably being absent from the Moroccan squad for three whole years.

World Cup dream come true

“Just like all Moroccan football players, I dream to play in the World Cup,” the Moroccan striker added, confirming that he had “opened a new page” with the national team’s head coach.

Hamdallah has promised to give his all if he gets called up for the Qatar World Cup, but said that he would be the Atlas Lions’ biggest supporter if Regragui does not include him in the World Cup squad list.

In addition, his inclusion in Morocco’s World Cup squad came as a big relief for both Hamdallah and Moroccan fans, as the Moroccan striker did not feature in Morocco’s previous squad list.

Regragui last September revealed the list of the 32 players set to take part in Morocco’s upcoming matches, notably the pre-World Cup friendly games, with Hamdallah noticeably absent.

While fans were glad that the head coach called up Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech, they were not satisfied with the absence of one of their favorite strikers, Hamdallah, putting Regragui under pressure.

Hamdallah was overjoyed after learning about his eventual inclusion in Morocco’s World Cup squad list, promising to give his all during the tournament.

Long-standing career

Born in 1990, Hamdallah made his professional debut in 2010 with the Olympic Club de Safi, a Moroccan club based in the city of Safi.

He played with several other Moroccan clubs before transferring to the Norwegian club Aalesunds FK in 2013, and later to Chinese club Guangzhou FC.

In July 2015, his journey with Gulf clubs began after joining Qatar’s El Jaish Sports club, where he claimed the 2016 Qatar Cup. Hamdallah also played with the Qatari club Al-Rayyan.

Nicknamed “the Executioner,” the Moroccan striker then joined the Saudi club Al Nassr, where he scored a league record of 34 goals in the 2018-2019 season of the Saudi Professional League.

In addition, he was the world’s leading scorer in 2019 after he ended the year with a record of 57 goals, outperforming Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (54 goals) and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (50 goals).

In 2021, he was among the top 20 goal scorers of the decade. With a total of 237 goals between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020, Hamdallah ranked 19th in the world.

In December 2021, Hamdallah joined his current Saudi Club Al Ittihad FC. Last February, the Moroccan player became the first footballer to score a hattrick (scoring three goals in one game) in the Jeddah Derby since its first iteration in 2007.

In August 2022, the Saudi Football Committee suspended the Moroccan striker for four months following a complaint by his former club Al Nassr.

The suspension was lifted in September and Hamdallah is back on the pitch, stronger than ever. With the Executioner’s strong goal scoring history, many Moroccan fans are counting on him to provide a remarkable performance at the World Cup.